2017 NBA Finals Preview

Back in October, star power forward, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors stated that he wants to “annihilate” the archrival Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. After a long regular season and three successful playoff sweeps, Green’s wish may finally be granted. For the third consecutive year, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be squaring off in the NBA Finals.

While the same two teams have competed for the championship the last two years, both teams have made some key additions to bolster their rosters. While Cleveland added useful players such as Kyle Korver, Deron Williams, and Derek Williams, the biggest change from last year’s Finals is Golden State’s addition of superstar Kevin Durant.

Durant, who made a controversial decision this past summer to join the Warriors, is seeking his first NBA championship. All eyes will be on him to see if he made the right career move. A win should calm down those who criticized him at the start of the season, but a loss will certainly cause a stir. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s LeBron James will be appearing in his seventh consecutive NBA Finals and eighth overall. A series win will bring him to four championships which will strengthen his case of being a better player than the legendary Michael Jordan.

This is the fist time in NBA history that the same two teams will compete in a third consecutive championship, and this third chapter of the rivalry is slated to be just as epic as the first two. It’s clear the Warriors and Cavaliers have been the two most dominant teams in the NBA all season. Both had sparkling regular seasons, and they have both been red-hot in the playoffs. Golden State has been perfect in the postseason, winning all 12 of their playoff games, while Cleveland has just lost once.

While the 2017 playoffs have been boring since these two teams have been destroying the competition, the Finals will hopefully be more exciting and intense as the two juggernauts meet. Will Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green avenge their 2016 Finals loss, or will Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and LeBron bring home a second title to Cleveland?

I predict the Golden State Warriors will win the series 4-2. While Cleveland is an excellent team, the explosive Warriors offense will be very tough for them to guard. The Cavs roster for the most part is the same as last years, while Durant has delivered for Golden State averaging 25.2 points per game in the playoffs. The 2017 NBA Finals begin on Thursday, June 1in Oakland.

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Daniel is a sophomore majoring in Psychology and Spanish at Penn State. He is an avid sports fan and a TV/movie enthusiast who loves alternative rock music. Please feel free to check out any of his articles!